Are you one amongst the many who woke up to find the vibrant, cheerful rainbow-DPs that people have posted on Facebook? Did you find a rainbow-streaked heart on Twitter along with the hashtag #LoveWins? Did you read Google’s proud declaration on its homepage with the hashtag #ProudtoLove? Or were you the amazing coder who ended up on Stack Overflow to view their beautiful rainbow-colored logo of #LoveOverflows? Well, blame them not, because the world has reason to celebrate! It was a day when love won over law, as USA became the 18th country to legalize same-sex marriage.

Same-sex unions have been recorded in many cultures in the past, but social acceptance for the same was so rare that it was equivalent to nonexistent. Netherlands was the country to first enact a law providing for gay marriage in 2001. Over the years, many countries followed suit, the latest to join the chart being USA. However despite several legislative initiatives, no country in Asia has legalized same-sex marriage as of today. This makes us wonder: are we just modern people behaving like Neanderthals, owing to our orthodox beliefs and practices? Is it that hard a fact to accept the love between two people of the same gender?

It is said that marriages are made in heaven. Though traditionally the ritual of marriage has been the concept of the union of a man and a woman, there isn’t a reason why we should not embrace the union of a gay-couple or a lesbian-couple. Everyone in this world has equal rights and is entitled to love. Who are we to stop them? It’s not a crime that has to be looked upon with so much social stigma. Neither is it any sort of disorder or unhealthy practice. Then why do we still fail to accept it with a broad mind? Just because our society, tradition and culture doesn’t recognize it? Shouldn’t we be ashamed to call ourselves modern when we have mindsets that can’t accept and embrace change in society? Activists have been striving so hard to get our judicial system to accept, understand and legalize same-sex marriages in India. But they are yet to reap the fruits of their labor.

Today when the Supreme Court of USA has passed this law, the world is rejoicing and celebrating because it is a giant leap for mankind and will sure go down as another achievement in history. But rejoicing and supporting the cause is not enough. It has become the need of the hour to wake up, strive hard and pour in your contribution to the cause. Its time you understand the same-sex couples around you, who are struggling for acceptance and identity. March with them in their struggle, raise awareness about the same, and give them the rights and the love that they are entitled to, just like you and me. If we all join hands for this cause and struggle relentlessly, I am sure that the day wouldn’t be far away when the world will celebrate with bright colors, to mark the historic event of India legalizing same-sex marriage!